What does cohesiveness mean?
Cohesiveness is the quality of sticking together to form a unified whole. It is most often applied to groups — teams, communities, organizations — where it describes the strength of the bonds that hold members together and enable them to act as one. A group with strong cohesiveness tends to show loyalty, shared purpose, and effective collaboration, which is why the term appears frequently in psychology, sociology, and business writing. The word can also describe physical phenomena, as in the tendency of molecules of a liquid to cling to one another. Derived from the Latin verb 'haerere', meaning 'to stick', via 'cohere', cohesiveness shares its roots with words like cohesion, coherent, and adhesive. It is a formal, largely positive term, typically measured or discussed rather than casually used, and it is closely related to — though distinct from — cohesion, which emphasizes the process or force of binding rather than the resulting quality of unity.
nounThe quality or state of forming a united, closely integrated whole; the tendency of a group or substance to stick together.
- The quality of forming a united whole, especially of a group whose members feel loyalty and work well together.
- The physical property of particles or substances tending to stick together.
"The team's cohesiveness was evident in how seamlessly they handled the crisis."
"Regular retreats helped build a sense of cohesiveness among the staff."
"Water's high cohesiveness is what allows droplets to form on a waxed surface."
The same Latin root that gives us 'glue' words like 'adhesive' also gave us 'cohesiveness' — literally, the quality of holding together.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cohesiveness
Cohesiveness derives from the Latin verb 'haerere', meaning 'to stick or cling', combined with the prefix 'co-' ('together'). English borrowed the related noun 'cohesion' from Latin 'cohaesio' in the 16th century, and 'cohesiveness' emerged later as an abstract-quality form of the adjective 'cohesive'. The same root produced 'adhere', 'inhere', and 'coherent', all carrying the underlying idea of sticking or holding together.
Related word forms
How cohesiveness is actually used
Mostly used in formal, academic, or professional contexts such as organizational psychology, sociology, and management writing. It carries a positive connotation when describing groups, since cohesiveness is generally seen as desirable.
Easily confused with cohesiveness
Cohesion refers to the act, process, or force of sticking together (especially in physics and chemistry), while cohesiveness refers to the degree or quality of being unified.